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Fantasy Football Ethics?

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  1. BIANCHI BIANCHI is offline

    Lexington, KY
    United States

    Posts: 67
    Joined: Nov 05

    Nov 18th, 2008 (11/18/2008 5:20pm)

    I am in an office league. Currently I'm in 2nd place, of 12 teams. This league has very rare settings that promotes people to join a reasonably expensive league in an office that doesn't know EVERYTHING about football: everyone makes the playoffs.
    The nice things is, the top 4 teams get a well deserved bye.

    My question lies in the fact that one of the better teams in the league has been very unlucky and is currently sitting at 5th. This is a team that I would rather not play in the playoffs because he has the potentially high-powered combo of Cutler-Marshall, Westbrook, Santana Moss, and no weak links elsewhere. I play the 3rd ranked team in the league this week, with no threat to lose my 2nd seed when we enter the playoffs next week.

    If I win, and TEAM 5 wins (as he should) he will move up, getting the bye(essentially swapping places with the team that I am playing this week), and bump the 4th ranked team (another feared team) into my bracket.

    If I lose, I force the Cutler/Marshall/Westbrook team to play an extra game in the playoffs on the other side of the bracket, as well as keeping the other potential threat on the other side of the playoff bracket.

    Essentially, if everything works as planned, and it most likely will, the 1st, 3rd, and 4th highest scoring teams will be on the same side of the playoff bracket, and my 2nd best team will be cruising to the Super Bowl with a very beatable 1/2 bracket.

    Is it unethical to throw the game?
  2. shipitb shipitb is offline

    Saint Louis, MO
    United States

    Posts: 383
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    Nov 18th, 2008 (11/18/2008 5:56pm) in reply to BIANCHI

    YES, it essentially comprimises the integrity of your league and quite frankly is a horse shit move imo. Put your best team out at all times. It effects the whole league, pts for pts against etc. etc.
  3. TheDude12424 TheDude12424 is offline

    Gibbsboro, NJ
    United States

    Posts: 1,274
    Joined: Apr 07

    Nov 18th, 2008 (11/18/2008 6:01pm) in reply to BIANCHI

    fuck it, throw the game. win the money.
  4. TpocketT TpocketT is offline

    Posts: 2,478
    Joined: Jun 07

    Nov 18th, 2008 (11/18/2008 6:03pm) in reply to BIANCHI

    Use whatever strategy you need to in order to win. If you're allowed to start noone for the week, start noone. Doing something like colluding to get a super team with other ppl or something like that would be unethical in fantasy football, but not what you're talking about imo.
  5. TheAlbatross TheAlbatross is online now

    Los Angeles, CA
    United States

    Posts: 6,893
    Joined: Sep 05

    Nov 18th, 2008 (11/18/2008 6:03pm) in reply to BIANCHI

    It's legit imo. You've got your playoff spot wrapped up and you're resting your starters. Happens all the time
  6. thereraise thereraise is offline

    San Diego, CA
    United States

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    Nov 18th, 2008 (11/18/2008 6:12pm) in reply to BIANCHI

    yea its fine imo....things like player dumping through trades are unethical, this is just a strategic move by you nothing against the rules

    you better be sure that all the teams do what they are "suppose" to this week and win/lose or you'll be kiking yourself for not just playing this week and letting the playoff seeding fall where it does.....
  7. pocketmilkduds pocketmilkduds is offline

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    Nov 18th, 2008 (11/18/2008 6:16pm) in reply to thereraise

    100% legit strat, in fact if you dont do this, after you all ready figured out it could help you it would just be foolish
  8. bazilly bazilly is offline

    Hanover, PA
    United States

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    Nov 18th, 2008 (11/18/2008 6:21pm) in reply to BIANCHI

    My league has one rule for ethics, All moves must be made to give your team the best chance to win the league. Benching your team fits within these guidelines.

    However, I think I would post what you are planning on doing to give everyone a chance to bitch. Usually after some time to think things over people are a little more rational. If you simply pull your team at 12:55 on Sunday there will be a huge s-storm.
  9. mdshack14 mdshack14 is offline

    Auburn Hills, MI
    United States

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    Nov 18th, 2008 (11/18/2008 6:24pm) in reply to BIANCHI

    If you're asking this question you already know the answer but someone to convince you it isn't unethical.
     
  10. smokey337 smokey337 is offline

    Las Vegas, NV
    United States

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    Nov 18th, 2008 (11/18/2008 6:32pm) in reply to BIANCHI

    not at all.... you are playing the game to win... you are not doing bogus trades are anything unethical imo
  11. 93-97___60-3 93-97___60-3 is offline

    Port Saint Lucie, FL
    United States

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    Nov 18th, 2008 (11/18/2008 6:44pm) in reply to BIANCHI

    If your team is that good, then it really shouldn't matter who you play, you'll win. Yes, I think it is completely against the integrity of the game, just start your best players every game and don't try to bend the rules or do something just because technically nobody made a rule that you can't do it. Maybe your friends/co-workers, whatever, didn't feel any explicit rule governing this situation was needed since they didn't plan on having a douchebag (not you personally, just in general) try shady maneuvers trying to gain an "advantage".

    Hey, if you want to exploit those people you interact with everyday trying to win a few bucks, be my guest, suck as much fun out of the league as you want. Do what you have to, but if the "easy" team you get to play suddenly goes off for their big week of the year in the 1st round and knocks you out while you would have beaten whoever you would have played otherwise, then whoops.

    I figure you are either posting this because you actually know that maybe you shouldn't do this, and are looking for a little justification why, or you are an attention-seeking, "look at how cool I am being a dick in my fantasy football league" kind of guy. Hopefully the former, and just decide what is more important to you, trying to win with a little dignity and respect, or trying to win and probably pissing people off in the process. Probably about the same chance either way.

    (sorry bout the long post, i'm just not a big fan of this kind of shit in leagues, pick the best players and make good in-season decisions with lineups, pickups, trades, etc.., and get every advantage you can in those areas, but don't look for other ways to "win")
  12. bdk_2five bdk_2five is offline

    Las Vegas, NV
    United States

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    Nov 18th, 2008 (11/18/2008 6:53pm) in reply to TheDude12424

     
    Originally Posted by TheDude12424 View Post

    fuck it, throw the game. win the money.

    without question.
  13. kmax9 kmax9 is offline

    South Bend, IN
    United States

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    Nov 18th, 2008 (11/18/2008 6:56pm) in reply to BIANCHI

    My view on this is if this was your first game of the season vs last game would you sit your players at the start of the season.

    I would play my lineup.
  14. Futon Futon is offline

    Ndola
    Zambia

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    Nov 18th, 2008 (11/18/2008 6:58pm) in reply to kmax9

    Play your lineup. It's one thing to sit one guy when you have it locked up by like a point. Pretty shitty IMO if you did this.
  15. BIANCHI BIANCHI is offline

    Lexington, KY
    United States

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    Nov 18th, 2008 (11/18/2008 8:57pm) in reply to Futon

    The reason I would do this has nothing to do with the money. I'm a very competitive person and simply want to win the league, just as a 14-1 team in the NFL would bench their players. It is a little different, but NFL teams do this to gain an advantage in the playoffs.

    However, since it is a work environment, I can see how the other 11 people in the league could look at it in an entirely different way. I guess I don't want any of the 11 people thinking that I'm a dick. From the poll that I took by this post, at least a few of them will. It's just not a great career move (and this is a professional environment), to give anyone a reason to dislike me.

    If this situation came up in a league with my buddies, I'd do it in a heart beat just to get a rise out of them.

    I'll start my best players, as I was going to all along. I just wanted to see what other people thought on the matter.

    It was an interesting conversation...
    Thread Starter
  16. Aaron_Hacker Aaron_Hacker is offline

    Avon, IN
    United States

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    Nov 18th, 2008 (11/18/2008 9:11pm) in reply to BIANCHI

    nfl coaches bench there starters before the playoffs... absolutely no reason that you cant do this at all... give yourself the best chance to win at all times
     
  17. bazilly bazilly is offline

    Hanover, PA
    United States

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    Nov 18th, 2008 (11/18/2008 9:15pm) in reply to BIANCHI

    ok, since you decided I'll give you another one. If you are up by 2 points going into Monday night and only have your DEF left to play, the team you are playing is done, do you pull your DEF and eliminate any chance of losing before the game?

    We had this come up and it lead to our ethics rule. You do what you think will help you win but nobody can collude because they would be breaking the rule. I agree with your call in a work enviroment.
  18. resilient resilient is offline

    Vanuatu

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    Nov 18th, 2008 (11/18/2008 9:20pm) in reply to BIANCHI

    this is my 17th season, and I always put the best lineup in, even when I'm in a situation like yours... I also put my starting lineups in weekly when I'm out of a league, just like I wish that other teams would when I am contending. I would say it's somewhat unethical to intentionally lose to better your playoff position.

    In the NBA in the 80s, Dick Motta accused the Houston Rockets of doing exactly this late in the season when they sat 3 of their starters, and losing would put them in the 6 seed spot and keep them off of the Lakers side of the bracket. So what happened? Motta got fined for saying that... lol.
     
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